Royal Robbins, the man, not the company, was one of the best climbers who ever lived. The company he and his wife Liz started was conceived on top of Half Dome and born in Basecamp in Yosemite Valley in 1968. But since then the company lost its way. After Royal died, the brand mostly made travel clothes for retirees. That is until an ex-Nike executive, and former client of Division of Labor, took over the company as President. He was treating it like a startup and needed an agency that would do the same. We needed to go back to the company’s roots and reignite the power of this storied brand.

As the ad agency for startups in San Francisco, we work directly with a lot of founders. And the founder’s story is one of the most important keys to a brand’s behavior. Liz and Royal Robbins climbed Half Dome one day, making Liz the first woman to ever climb it, and they took what is now a famous photograph. In the photo, the couple look a bit ragged and tattered prompting Liz to say, “we need to start a clothing company.” Back in Camp 4 in the Yosemite Valley, the couple laid the plans and Royal Robbins, the company not the man, was born. That story conjured up the line, “Conceived on Half Dome. Born in Basecamp.” And it became the brand strategy and the advertising campaign tagline.

The ad campaign launch around February of 2024 with a global sales push to reignite the brand’s retail push. By March, we launched an online effort with digital video, digital banners, social media and a large retail in-store component. 

The brand sold in better than it had in years. The campaign was a huge hit with retailers and consumers alike. Website visits went up, social engagement went up. Both sides of the client’s mouth went up.